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REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is bowing to pressure. Bowing to pressure is when a person agrees to do the wish of another person or group of people against his or her will. Bowing to pressure means reluctantly submitting or succumbing to the wish of others. We shall reflect on the fact that to overcome the temptation of bowing to pressure, we must be faithful to the Gospel.

Beloved in the Lord, Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, mentioned that he had to oppose or rebuke Peter for bowing to pressure from his fellow Jews concerning his association or fellowshipping with the Gentiles believers. Paul wrote, “When Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy, even Barnabas was led astray. ¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” (Galatians 2:11-14). In other words, Paul rebuked Peter for acting hypocritically because he failed to live by the teachings of the Gospel. Whenever we fail to live by the teachings of Jesus Christ, it is most likely that we shall become spiritually and morally vulnerable, thereby bowing to pressure. Many believers have bowed to the pressure of discrimination, corruption, and unfaithfulness because of their desire to please human being rather than God. Some of us have succumbed or bowed to pressure for the fear of persecution, demotions, antagonism, social isolation, or neglect from family, friends, colleagues, and superiors.

Again, some people have bowed to pressure because of political influence and the desire for wealth, fame, and power. Jesus admonishes us that “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26). To overcome the temptation of bowing to pressure, we must learn from Jesus’ example of obeying God’s Word when He was tempted by the Devil in Matthew 4:1-11. Similarly, when we find ourselves in situation where we are being made to bow to pressure, let faithfully obey the Word of God and be determined to please God by following the perfect example of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord’s admonishment to we those who are Christians, yet bow to the pressure of the world hence becoming hypocrites, is that ” I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelations 3:15-16) . Jesus, also warns those who put pressure on others to disobey God or sin,  “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. ² It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” (Luke 17:1-2). Let us desist from luring or persuading to bow to the the pressure of sinning against God thereby incurring His judgement

In summery, we have deliberated on the theme “bowing to pressure.” We have discovered that to overcome the temptation of bowing to pressure, we must be faithful to the Gospel .and also follow the perfect examples of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, and Saviour.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit grant us the discernment and strength to overcome the temptation of bowing to pressure against Your will. Deliver us from the spirit of hypocrisy and let our love and intentions for others be genuine. Amen.